Porsche 997 Car Audio Upgrade

Porsche 997 Car Audio Upgrade.

The later Porsche 997 has the benefit of the PCM 3 Navigation system which brings the benefit of Bluetooth and IPod control.

The standard system is reasonable but you will notice the bass struggles to keep up at higher volume levels as well as being uncontrolled and the midrange/treble sound quality is just poor! The centre channel is also too loud, which has the effect of losing stereo separation. We have designed an upgrade which significantly improves all of these problems.

The factory system comprises of an 8” woofer in the bottom of the door and a 4” midrange unit in the top of the door, along with tweeters and a centre channel on top of the dash.

The first thing we discovered is that there is virtually no sound deadening in the door at all, not good when its being used as a subwoofer enclosure, come on Porsche, what where you thinking!

The upgrade package basically consists of a set of 4” Focal components (our choice of 4” speakers every time) a JL 4 channel class D amp fitted under the bonnet hidden behind a panel, a rewire and a ton of Dynamat sound proofing. The factory woofer can actually perform very well when fitted properly.

Above Left: This picture shows the extensive Dynamat applied to the metal door frame, we also sound proof the inside of the door skin, this deadens the panel enabling the subwoofer to sound as it should without the door “ringing”. Above Right: This shows the sound proofing applied to the back of the door card as well as the new Focal midrange fitted in the existing location.

The amplifier enables us to run the front end actively so we can add a subwoofer level control in the ashtray for “tweaking” the bass dependant on what you are listening too, how fast you are driving and your mood!.

Above Left: This picture shows the JL amp fitted neatly under the bonnet where it will be hidden by the trim panel once it is set up. Above right: This shows the Focal tweeter in the factory location before the trim is replaced. The install takes around a day and a half, the sound proofing being very time consuming yet essential.

The sound when finished is stunning, dramatically improved sound quality as well as a weighty controlled bass, the system holds together really well even at the very high volume levels that can now be achieved.

By adjusting the balance of the system during setup we are able to effectively tone down the overzealous centre channel, improving sound stage and stereo separation.